The script of the new ad for Amrutanjan Roll-On balm reads like one straight out from a Savita Bhabhi comic (minus the sex). Two couples travelling on a train, one young, another a little older. The young man steps out of the first class compartment to find some relief for a headache and the relief comes in the form of a sexy bhabhi who lovingly rolls-on the balm on the dazzled youth’s forehead (notice the expression on his face).

That’s not all. Later, when night progresses they both occupy the lower berths while their partners are sent upstairs to sleep on the upper berths, the man stretches his hand to express his gratitude, the woman says in a seductive voice, “Tumhe aaram mil gaya, mujhe aur kya chahiye? (It got you relief, what else can I desire for?)”

This ad may not run into any trouble with the babus at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, however the Savita Bhabhi inspiration is obvious – the woman’s amorous expressions, seductive voice, transparent saree, a hint of cleavage, the prominent mangalsutra and the plot.

There has been some debate about the efficacy and safety of pain balms. India Today carried a story titled ‘Is Zandu Balm Any Good? Er… No‘ in the wake of the Dabangg-Zandu balm controversy and raised doubts on whether herbal over-the-counter pain balms actually work. Even if they don’t work, roll-on balms are a convenience over the messy apply-it-with-your-fingers balm.

Zandu and Munni have since shaken hands (or rather hips) in what, too me, seemed to be a well orchestrated PR move. Now that Munni (Malaika Arora Khan) is applying it for Zandu, competitor Amrutanjan is surreptitiously attempting to appropriate the badnaam comic porn star Savita Bhabhi.